Automatically-operated piano.



A. G. GULBRANSEN.

AUTOMATICALLY OPERATED PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED Mus. 1910.

1,078,673. Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

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X81 Gs. Guibransen @MQL A. G. GULBRANSEN. AUTOMATICALLY OPERATED PIANO.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 3. 1910,

Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

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Fig.2.

Inven'lTnr' 81 13. Bull: rana an AXEL G. GU'LIBBANSEN, or CHICAGO, IL LINQIs'AssfG QR TO sULBaANsEN-mcKiNsoN- COMTANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINoIs, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

AU'roMATIc'aLLrormrnnrmno. 4

Patented Nov. 13,1913.

Application-filed May 3 1910. sriamo. 559,125.

T 0 all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, AXEL G. G LBRANSEN, a citizen ofthe United States, residin-gat Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatically-Oper'ated Pianos, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference'being had to the accompanying- 1 0 drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My inventionrelates to automatically operated pianos, and is directed-toward improved means for supporting the automatic action mechanism'within the casing ofan' rdinar'y'piano so that it may be properly ociated with thekcys for the purposes of hitting them precisely as if they'were opted manually-in the usual manner. I It is well known that in automatic piano actionsywhichare operated pneumatically, a" channel board is provided which extends the length of the-piano at the front matics secured to the rear thereof and di- .rect1y asociated with the abstracts of the piano action proper. These channel boards are made of wood and are provided with vacuum chambers and air passages of difierent kinds, depending upon the precise na-p ture'of the pneumatic system employed.

It is the specific object of my invention to provide. means "for properly mounting this channel board.

As is probably well known in thaart and as will presently be evident, these channel boards are not :very wide relative to their length and they are subject to warping, voften to such an extent as to make their proper disposition in thepiano casing-ta serious difiiculty My invention is effective in providing an arrangement whereby this warping may be met and overcome, and whereby the channel board maybe properly adjusted in position. t

It is the further object of my invention that this supporting and adjusting means be universal in its application 'to the many .kinds of piapos on the market, and, with this end in view, I have providedlmeans whereby the range of adjustment is of very considerable scope. 1

My invention is embodied in the 'structhereof and 'has a T multitude of pneu- ;'for operating I -nism are in icated at 10-. It will be under" ture illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure l isla front elevational view of ,the piano with the upper front panel and the keyboard cover removed;-'Fig. 2 is a fragmentary end view of the parts with ,whichmy invention is particularly concerned; Fig.3 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of one of the elements of the support-- and Fig; 5 is an end view of the parts shown in Fig.-4.-

- the 'same' parts throughout the various fig have been omitted for the purposes of clearshown at 8, theair motor at 9 and the pedals the automatic playing-mechas'tood that the iano proper is of any ordinary and well own construction and that connected with the hammers of a piano action.

tern is indicated at 11, and it is'with the proper mounting of this channel board that of the piano, upon which the strings are mounted, is indicated at 12, and is.'held in the piano oasingby means of suitable bolts '13, 13. A number of pneumatics 11 are arranged to engage an abstract rod 7 operatively associated with a corresponding key 7 The bed of the piano, which is be low the keyboard, is indicated at 14, and beare mounted thesupportingbrackets 15, 15,

One end of each of these brackets is serrated ing structure of my invention; Fig.4 is a front View, on an enlarged scale, vof two otherelements of my'supporting structure,

with which my invention is not concerned :ness in illustration; The music roll box is' The channel board of the automatic s 's-- secured to the rear of the channel board andthe movable element of each pneumatic 1s tween this bed and the back board 12 there 100 of which there are usually three or four.- V

at 16 so that it can be driven in the bed :as indicated in the drawings, while the other end is bifurcated, as indicated at 17, tor 1o5' the reception of a'bolt 18 which 1s effect ve like referencefnumerals are applied to I ures.

1 The piano casing is shown at 6, the keyboard eing indicated at '7. Those parts 1 the par'tsS, 9, 10 and the associated elements are merely inserted therein andproperly my invention-is concerned. The; back board pieces '22,:Z'Q'of'ihe casing and is mounted board 11 mounted quite in the manner of a bridge and that, beingwood, it is subject to wiglping which ma yl'pro've to be very.

. 'upon a series of screws 26, 26, preferably This arrangement o f-screws is particularly -nipulatihgone ofthe pedals 20 to moderate "dition to this support upon the cleats, as

for it is clear that the screws can be manipu-- 'to the relation between the neumatics cara forwardly extending screw-threaded rod means of a flange 28, either. integral there- 'with -or secured thereto, thro provided and it is clear-that the head part in scanning the other end of the bracket to the hack board, as clearly illustrated. EX-- tcndingacross and secured upon the brac'k? ets'1 5, 15, are various rails andotherparts for the proper mounting of the hammers and the associated mechanisms. -For -instance, one of these rails is indicatedat '19. The mm'able-haumier rail, upon which the hammers rest-and which is moved by mathe tone, is indicated at 21. I

As clearly shown in the drawings, the" channel board '11 extends between the side above and. to the rear of the-ltcyboard 7.. This channel board is primarily secured in place by means of the screws 23, 23, which pass transversely thcrethrough and which enter the cleats 24:,24 secured, bymeans of screws 25, 25, to the side pieces 22,22, as indicated. It is thus clear that the channel;

considera e and very detrimental. -'In ad-.

just described, the channel board 11.rests wood screws, engagingfin the bed let, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 5 in particular;

advantageous in first plaoingthe board in position, before employing the screws 2-3, 23,

lated to raise their common plane or lower it as the occasion requires, particularly as ried by the board and piano.

Secured to the front of the channel board 11, at some point intermediate its ends, is

the abstracts of the 2'1, rigidadjustment being obtained by ugh .which flange pass the screws 29, 29 which .take into the board 11. The screw-threaded rod- 27 is adapted to pass through a notch at may be rigidly clamped betweenthese nuts. It is further clear that these nuts may be manipulated to move; the board 11, or at least that part of it forward or back, as desired. And it is cle'ari-that more than one of these adjusting elements, comprising.

the parts 27, 31 and 32, may be provided;

fact, in Fig. 1, two 'such elements are shown.

"Operating to supplement the adjusting elemcntsw'hi'ch'have just been described is'a further adjusting element, shown in detail in Fig. 3. Extending from one or more of the brackets-M- isa-stud 133, which me conveniently be screwed therein, andto this stud .is pivoted, bynmeans of-a pivot pin 34, a forwardly extending rod 35,- the forward end of which is screw-threaded, as indicated at 36. This rod, as is evident, is-adapted to swing about the pivot34 and is arranged to enter a notch 37 in the top of the board llandto receive a nut 38 on each'side of the board, as clearly 'shown'in the figure just referred to. also can the nuts be manipulated to bring that part ofthe board backward or for ward, since the part 15 isabsolutcly sta- .-tionary. Thus, after the necessary position of the channel'boa'rd has been deter-- mined, the cleats 24, 24 are put into place and thefiscrews 26, 26 adjusted by the cute and-try method until their common plane is{ brought into the proper height so that the channel board resting thereon maybe properly associated with the parts to the rear thereof. screws .23, 23 may be tightened and the board is then rigidly secured in place. The

pins 31, 31 are, of course, ,lproperly disposed so that when the chann board is ut into place, the rods 27, 27'extending orthe heads of the pins. Similarly, the[rods' 35, 35 are pivoted at theproper point so '80 It is apparent'that here Vhen brought into place the" wardlytherefrom will enter the notchesin that when they are swung downwardly they may enter the notches provided therefor 1n the parts, as has just been described; The nuts 32, 32 and the nuts 38, 38 may thenbe manipulated to bring the board .into proper position, to overcome anywa in that may have occurred and to securely 300E the board against responding to any bending strain that might, in any way, be applied thereto. 4

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

. 1. In an automaticallyplaying piano, in combination, a framework, a channel board, means for supporting said board by securing it at its endsrto the piano framework, screw threaded posts intermediate its ends for adjusting the position of the board, bifurcated posts on the frameworkthrough which said first named posts may pass, and nuts on said first named posts associated with said second named posts.

2. In an automatically playingpiano, in combination, a channel board carrying pneumatic action mechanisms for association with the hammers of the piano, a screw.- threaded rod pivoted upon substantially parallel to theboard stationary relative to the piano framework, said board having an opening to rece1\e said rod, and

a nut on said rod on each side of said board.

3. -In an automatically playing piano,'m combination, a framework, cleats secured to screws secured in the piano. framework, a channel board resting on'said screws seas" to be capable of movement thereon, a screw-' threaded rod secured thereto and extend ing forwardly therefrom, a member rigid with the framework and having a notch therein through which said rod passes-Rand a nut on said rod on each side of said members. I 5. In an automatically"playing piano, in combination, a channel board, a screwthreaded rod extending therefrom, a member rigid with the piano casing and having a notch through which said rod passes, a nut on said rod on each side of said member, a screw-threaded rod pivoted upon an axis stationary relative to the piano framework, said board having a notch to receive said rod, and aunt on said rod on each side of said board.

6. In an automatically playing piano, in combination, a piano casing, ,a channel board carrying pneumatic action mechanisms for association with the-hammers of the piano, a screw threaded rod extendingforwardly therefrom, intermediate of the ends thereof, a member rigid with the piano casing and having an opening through which the screw- -threaded part of said. rod passes, and a nut on the screw threaded part of said rod on each side of said'member.

17. In an automatically playing piano, in combination, a channel board carrying pneumatic-action mechanisms for association with the hammers of the piano, a screw threaded rod pivoted on an axis stationary relative to theip'iano framework, said board having an open notch to receive said rod, and a nuton said rod on each side of said board.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 30th day of April, 1910.

AXEL G. GULBR-AN SEN.

Witnesses:

' ALBERT G. MGCALEB,

JULIA C. LooMIs. 

